With the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, a new crop of honeymooners has entered the market. The travel industry has positioned itself to capitalize, having recently launched several targeted marketing campaigns featuring gay couples, including Hotwire’s “Lucky Me” commercial, Airbnb’s #HostWithPride film, and Marriottt’s Love Travels campaign.

But with gay marriage fully legal in just 20 countries – and homosexuality illegal in 75 — gay newlyweds face extra hurdles in deciding where to celebrate their nuptials. Many feel compelled to research discrimination laws before making overseas travel plans. In fact, four out of 10 U.S. LGBT travelers said local discriminatory laws and homophobic sentiments affect where they decide to fly “to a great extent,” according to a survey by LGBT marketing group Out Now. As one lesbian couple expressed in Airbnb’s #HostWithPride film, “For our honeymoon, I don’t want to be attacked. We want to be able to express our love, and be able to be affectionate, and feel comfortable and safe.”

But are such fears founded? Certainly, in some nations around the world, including popular honeymoon destinations, local LGBT people are harassed, arrested and even killed with impunity. But for Americans, these threats are minimal. Both the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and the International Gay and Lesbian Alliance have no reports of gay American honeymooners being assaulted during international travel. Even the U.S. State Department, which posts warnings for LGBT travelers, has little evidence of such incidents.

Following the steps of Oscar Wilde at Cadogan Hotel | London, UK | Following the steps of Oscar Wilde at Room #118 of the Cadogan Hotel London. The scent of green carnations, the taste of Pierre Jouet Champagne and the views of Sloane Street and Pont Street wearing a similar jacket as he did, waiting, in this same room and window, for the police to take him to his imprisonment on charges of sodomy and gross indecency. A tribute to Coming OUT Day in North America and Gay Love Worldwide. More to come on the Cadogan Hotel… CM

As more governments approve same-sex marriage laws, officials here are hoping to attract a growing part of the tourism market: gay honeymoons.

The first couple to wed under Argentina’s recent law allowing same-sex marriages nationwide arrives in Mexico this week on an all-expenses-paid trip — part of a new push by the government in Mexico City, Mexico to woo gay travelers.

“We hope that many same-sex couples who get married around the world spend their honeymoons here,”says Alejandro Rojas, the city’s tourism secretary.

On July 15, the Argentinean senate legalized same-sex marriage. It is the first country in Latin America to protect equal rights for homosexual citizens. According to an

Associated Press news release, 33 lawmakers voted for, 27 against, and three abstained from the vote. The law will be officially established as soon as the official bulletin is published. President Cristina Fernandez seems to support the decision of the Senate. Here are some questions and answers about the new legislation to legalize gay marriage in Argentina.

Can a Gay Couple Travel to Argentina to Marry?

“Marriage tourism” probably won’t happen in Argentina just yet for two reasons. First, the law says that only citizens and permanent legal residents can have a civil marriage in the country. So, unless one member of the gay couple was either born in Argentina or has citizenship through family members, non-Argentinean gay couples will not be allowed to legally wed.

With the debut of ‘The Amazing Race™’ 16th hit season, 10 million viewers will be grumbling to themselves once again ‘I could do that!’ Well, grumble no more! The Chicago Tribune reports that finally, there is an ‘Amazing Race™’ For Regular People.’

Competitours is a groundbreaking European team travel competition that pits the creativity, ingenuity, and wits of 17 pairs of teams vying for $9,000 in prizes. Over a 9-day mystery itinerary, teams will compete to accomplish a series of fun, quirky and interactive challenges.

Challenges will be held in a variety of must-see bustling big cities, under-the-radar cool spots and off-the-grid rural villages. The challenges will absorb teams in the diverse and fascinating cultures, peoples and places of four surprise European countries.

There are no auditions, extreme stunts or need for physical fitness or speed. Mastering the challenges is based on teams being savvy, resourceful, outgoing, even a bit zany at times, so ANYONE can play. Past teams have ranged from parent/child to best friends to honeymooners to retirees.

Each day, all 17 teams will receive a virtual mission packet with their following day’s surprise destination(s) and 8-10 challenge options. Each team will choose the 3-4 challenges that best meet their touring preferences and route their daily itinerary using only public transport. Teams will enjoy the thrill of making snap decisions about the unfamiliar.

Challenge themes are about doing unusual and offbeat tasks in unexpected places, while still creating an understanding and appreciation of the host countries. Forget tourists that blindly follow the herd on a cookie cutter tour! Competitours puts you in the middle of the culture and then gives you a chance to investigate, navigate, research, be perplexed, be thrilled, ham it up, be bold, be curious… This goes way beyond site-seeing. This is site-doing!

Teams score points by documenting each challenge they accomplishvia portable video camera with a lively and creative 30-60 secondon-camera narrative. Videos will be uploaded at the end of each day for the judges to evaluate and score. There are no eliminations and the number of challenges and points to pursue are capped each day, to ensure each trip is a blast, not a blur. Every team will be in contention for the $9,000 in prizes down to the final day.

All participants appreciate the rivalry during the day, which later transforms into revelry at night. Swapping challenge escapades, enjoying nightlife, and shopping together off-the-clock are integral in creating the best prize of all- –new friends with shared experiences.

George Clooney, star of the Oscar-Nominated film ‘Up In The Air’ earned a fictional 10 million miles. Competitours principal Steve Belkin is a bonafide mileage hound, generating over 22.5 million miles by flying on crazy fares like $38 in Business Class Toronto-Larnaca Cypress; having surrogate flyers in Thailand, New Zealand and Germany; buying thousands of magazines, sausages, trackable luggage tags. His unique love of travel is what helped inspire Competitours.

It’s time for fans of ‘The Amazing Race ™’ or anyone with a zest for a breakthrough travel experience, to get off the couch, ditch the remote and find a partner to star in your own Amazing Race with Competitours! For more information, log onto www.competitours.com.